An iPhone device compatible with China Telecom's CDMA (Code Division
Multiple Access) networks received a network access license from the
country's Telecommunications Equipment and Certification Center this
week, according to the regulator's website.
The iPhone device also received approval from another Chinese regulator recently.
Apple and China Telecom have been in negotiations for some time now
about offering an iPhone device in the country. The carrier, which has
123 million mobile subscribers, has no firm timetable for when the
iPhone will be offered, but negotiations have been moving smoothly, said
company spokesman Xu Fei.
Currently, Apple's only official carrier of the iPhone in the country
is China Unicom, which operates a WCDMA network (Wideband Code Division
Multiple Access). The carrier started selling Apple's iPhone 4S from
last Friday.
China Unicom and China Telecom together have 323 million mobile
subscribers. The country's largest mobile carrier is China Mobile, which
has almost 650 million customers. China Mobile is also in discussions
with Apple about offering the iPhone, but no deal has been announced so
far